Strawberry Preserves

When my parents divorced long ago, my father was also divorced from the culinary security of his marraige. To fill the void of my mom's unbeatable home cooking, my dad taught himself how to cook. What's better than one parent that cooks great food? Two parents that cook great food. 

Last weekend my dad and I made strawberry jam. Until now, I've never been around when he prepares it. Jars of preserves serve as reminders of home for weeks after they're made. If you have empty jars hanging around, and a lazy weekend, preserves are definetly worth the time they take to make. 

Strawberry Preserves

Ingredients
+ fresh or frozen strawberries
+ same weight of sugar (maybe a little less)
+ empty jars
+ big pot

Mix together berries and sugar in a pot (don't heat the pot!), and let it hang out over night. Don't skimp too much on the sugar. In fact, its the sugar that acts as a preservative for the jam. "The berries attempt to form equillibrium of sugar content between their inside and outsides. Leaving it overnight infuses the sugar inside the berries." When you're ready, after at least 8 hours of letting the sugar and fruit hang out, put the pot on medium heat. The sugar will melt and  get very hot (hotter than the boiling point of water, so watch out). Let it simmer this way for at least an hour. Then, with a ladle, pour the preserves into jars, watching not to burn yourself. Immidiately put the lids on the jars while they're still hot. As they cool down, the pressure will lower inside the jar, and reseal the pop-up button on top. Since they are air-tight, you don't have to worry about refridgerating them until you open them. 

I love jam in yogurt, fresh bread and pancakes and crepes. I dont think there's any bad way to eat it. 

Just watch out not to make a mess...